A Better Story: Re-Thinking What Justice Looks Like
September 1, 2013
This is what is known as retributive justice, and it has deep roots in Western culture, stretching back for centuries upon centuries. So much so that it has become part of our DNA, part of what we assume to be self-evident. So when we speak of justice being done, we mean punishment. Justice...
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Book review: Rights & Restoration within Youth Justice
August 26, 2013
Theo Gavrielides, Editor (2012), De Sitter Publications, Canada,ISBN 13:978-1-897160-62-6 Rights and Restoration within Youth Justice is divided into three parts. The first brings human rights and restorative justice into dialogue. For example, in chapter 5, Colin Harvey claims that there are...
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Six boys, one cop, and the road to restorative justice
August 23, 2013
…Once he was next to the group, Ruprecht found he was dealing with six boys. It shocked him. Not only had these kids committed a felony with their break-in, but they had endangered their own lives and the lives of others because of the chemicals that were housed in the plant. He took...
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Addressing lateral violence in the workplace
August 22, 2013
The effects of lateral violence can range from a sense of powerlessness to depression and self-harm. Elders are often victims of lateral violence, but they can also commit it themselves. In Bendigo, lateral violence has become such a problem that the Bendigo and District Aboriginal Cooperative...
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Approaching juvenile crime head on
August 22, 2013
I went to a two-story building in Oakland’s Temescal district to see how restorative justice works first hand. I was there to meet a teenager arrested for burglary and conspiracy. “He’s here. Now we’re just waiting on law enforcement,†said Jonathan Bradley, a...
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OP-ED: The Power of Community Conferencing
August 19, 2013
It focuses on the work of the Community Conferencing Center (CCC) in Baltimore, as well as the center’s links to New Zealand and a conflict resolution process that originated with Maori. The process, known in New Zealand as Family Group Conferencing, has proven so effective over more...
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Helping people listen to each other
August 18, 2013
Honestly, I think listening is the heart of what happens in a restorative conference. This starts in the pre-conference as I listen to individuals tell their stories, express their concerns and fears, and describe their hurts. That listening begins the process of building trust which is...
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Restorative justice handles punishment
August 17, 2013
…”These youth readily admitted their fault and had no previous negative interactions with police. The accounting of the incident led police to believe that their intentions were not malicious, however stemmed instead from an ill fated idea.” The RCMP decided to divert the...
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Burglar shocked about grandchildren
August 16, 2013
In a restorative justice meeting in July, Larry met John and had the opportunity to piece together the whole story. He told John what a terrible impact his theft had left on him. Larry told John that his grandchildren could have been in the house. It was at that moment that John realised the...
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Do not jail thieves and fraudsters, law professor says
August 14, 2013
…”We should be reserving our most severe form of punishment for our most serious types of offending. “Should someone be sent to prison and deprived of their liberty for an offence that involves no violence, no threats and no sexual assault?” he said. “Instead, the...
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Restorative justice: Evidence-based practice or practice in search of evidence
August 14, 2013
…In “Investigating the Potentials of Restorative Justice Practice†(2011), Lode Walgrave provides a framework that I prefer for conceptualizing restorative justice: Restorative justice is not a limited set of actions or programs but an option that may inspire to...
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Restorative Justice Bill Introduced in Massachusetts
August 13, 2013
In May 2012, Ms. Connors and the two men sat side-by-side on a panel the Suffolk County district attorney’s office hosted to highlight the Victim-Offender Dialogue Program in the State. The men had been released from prison and were living up to the commitments they made to Ms. Connors....
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How key elements of a Restorative Justice Peacemaking Circle create more than conversation.
August 9, 2013
The opening/closing. I have a 3 inch 3 ring binder bursting with poems, readings and even an obituary. When you introduce this element you are sharing how Circle is different from our every day conversation, that sets a tone. The reading also provides one voice. The one...
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Truth and reconciliation conference sheds light on residential schools
August 7, 2013
“Many of us were damaged in many different ways,†said Chief Wilton Littlechild, who is also a commissioner to Truth and Reconciliation. “Either because of the sexual abuse, the mental abuse or physical abuse. In many ways you become damaged and inevitably you pass that on to...
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